The present invention relates generally to driver circuits for light emitting diode (“LED”) lighting sources. More particularly, the invention relates to LED driver circuits with step configurable output stages.
LED lighting sources are becoming more and more popular, at least because of their relatively high lumen output per watt and superior longevity. An LED array is a current driven device, so LED lighting sources typically require a driver to run LEDs and accordingly generate lighting output. One desirable consideration in LED driver design is that the LED driver output is configurable, which means that customers can selectively change the output within a certain range. However, conventional tools for realizing this feature include very complicated tuning circuits and micro-processors, which increase the product cost and size dramatically.
At least due to the competitive nature of the LED lighting market, it would be very desirable to have a simpler and lower cost solution for this type of application.